Smartphone makers take it in turns to trump each other for storage, processor speed and camera megapixels, but it’s the largely software - the mobile OS - that makes the biggest difference to your everyday use.

We're not talking about just the interface. It's the features the software offers, plus the depth and breadth of apps available for the mobile OS which make a difference.

It's all very well being able to download the big hitters such as Twitter, Facebook, Angry Birds and BBC iPlayer, but what about the smaller apps such as online banking, other catch-up TV services and more? If your chosen mobile OS doesn't have these in the app store, your smartphone will be more limited than you might want.

Popularity is not necessarily the best guide either. The Apple iPhone quickly stole market share from BlackBerry and Nokia, but now plays second fiddle to Google Android in terms of the number of devices sold.

A resurgent BlackBerry - thanks to the recent launch of the BlackBerry 10 OS along with a more consumer-friendly BlackBerry Z10 handset - could win back former fans.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 isn’t out of the running either. It's certainly one of the 'big four' mobile OSes and has its own strengths and weaknesses.

It may be that you already have an iPhone or Android smartphone and would prefer to stick to what you know, but with every high-profile handset launch and mobile OS update, the competition gets stiffer. The Android or iOS device of three years ago is barely recognisable from today's models.

How to choose the right smartphone OS for you

Price vs. OS version

The cost of your contract partly reflects the hardware capabilities and amount of storage on your phone, but you should really judge the value by what the mobile OS offers.

Any current iPhone can be updated to iOS 6 (the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system) for free, but whether or not you can update an Android phone to the latest 4.1 Jelly Bean version depends on the operator and the device itself.

Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is upgradable, but the cheaper Galaxy Y supports only Gingerbread (Android 2.3). Some budget phones such as the Sony Xperia tipo ships with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but is unlikely to ever get an upgrade to Jelly Bean.

To get the latest BlackBerry OS, you need to either the BlackBerry Z10 or the business-focused Q10 handset.

Apple iOS 6

The latest version of Apple's mobile OS which runs on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch offers the broadest choice of apps of all smartphones and comes with plenty of Apple’s own apps.

The likable Safari web browser supports multiple web pages, but the lack of support for Flash means some websites don't work. Synchronised bookmarks (via iCloud) and the ability to save pages for offline viewing (Reading List) are handy. In-private browsing is supported.

Typing is fairly swift once you master overriding Apple’s autocomplete suggestions. Good note-taking, reminders and calendar apps are provided.

Email support is equally solid. You can easily add multiple email accounts from Outlook to iCloud Mail, Yahoo, Google and Exchange, then designate contacts as VIPs. You can view inboxes separately or show all messages in a single inbox view. Mail is searchable by name or subject via a field at the top of the screen.

Voice search via the Siri digital assistant is largely a gimmick and requires a Wi-Fi connection to use. The ability to view documents sent as attachments is welcome, but they can be saved locally only if you have certain apps installed which support those file types.

iOS 6 has a handy Notification Centre and you'll see notifications appear on the Lock Screen so you don't need to unlock your phone. You can also disable all notifications between preset hours (the Do Not Disturb feature) so you can avoid distractions.

A central Settings app is used to manage almost every element of iOS, with on/off toggling for Bluetooth, roaming, in-app purchasing and third-party app integration. Some parental controls are provided and it's easy to synch and backup using iCloud or iTunes.

You need an Apple ID to buy apps and to manage most elements of your iOS life. Purchases can be viewed or installed on any other iOS device you own (up to five computers can also be registered to your iTunes account at once).

Music, games, TV shows, film rentals and other iTunes purchases can all be deleted to free up space and subsequently downloaded for future viewing. You get 5GB of iCloud storage, but photos, videos and purchases don't count against this. Of course, you can pay for more or use Dropbox, Box.com or other cloud providers.

Apple replaced Google Maps with its own Maps app in iOS 6, but you can still get Google’s superior maps app which also includes Street View. On the iPhone 4S and 5, you get turn-by-turn driving directions and the pretty-but-pointless 3D view in major cities.

Integration with audio hardware is impressive via both Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay wireless streaming (Apple's TV is great for wireless streaming too).

Aside from the sheer number of apps in the App Store, one of the big advantages of iOS is that Apple curates all apps, so rogue installations (and malware) are less likely than with Android.

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Comments

ELLAS said: Apple is for brainless people Most useless under powered and over priced junk

ELLAS said: BlackBerry 10 especially BB1031 is by far the best mobile OS out to date And can directly download and install Android Apps if need be BB10 is technologically superior and the easiest OS to learn and Navigate

vijay jose said: Worst part is u cannot share a snap or file with other bluetooth devices or phones on ios without internet connection i mean

sugnaya said: anyone can tell me what is mobile os how it works in phone

Ravi said: Here is my part where Ive given on choosing the OS for smartphone It all depends on what you want Have a look at it -gt httpbitly11qL4PL

Razvan Crisan said: 1ios 2 windows 3android if u want more apps go for android - but on android always will be lags or crash on some of the apps

usama said: ooooooo android is much better then ios

Rj said: The Windows phone also charge for normal games on android

developer said: you idiot whats a relation between free apps and slow phone Just take a look back at your comment what you are saying first of all WP8 is not at all slow its offers you a best memory managment hell faster then android phoneso thiers no relation between phones getteing slowed just because of non availability of too much free apps

Mitch said: I hate to say it but you are way off Ubuntu has a lot of features Android doesnt have and honestly the only thing Android has over Ubuntu would be a larger user baseFor one thing Android runs everything in trashy virtual machine which uses more CPU hogs resources and only on the newer versions does it even compile at runtimeSo to be honest its Android that doesnt have any better features Ubuntu can do everything it can do it just doesnt have as many apps yet because developers like me have not started anything on it yetAnd in app purchases are simply additional features they are not nearly the equivalent to having to purchase a product in most cases

Matt Egan said: Again Its a question of opinion and this article is 9 months old You have yours and the author has hers But please keep your opinions this side of insulting Thanks

Matt Egan said: I think a lot has changed in the past nine months and the author may write a slightly different article now Slightly Still doesnt give you the write to accuse her of corruption in such an insulting manner

Tanishq Jain said: Are you fking kidding me Apple has more apps than Android Whoever wrote this article Apple paid you to write this or your wife was kidnapped amp you were forced to write Brush up your knowledge bruh Grow up Android is THE BEST OS The futureAndroid offers much more than Apples picked from garbage iOS You need to jailbreak your phone to download paid apps for free My 6 yo bro downloads apps from his Galaxy T2 It aint rooted Steve Jobs wasnt allowed in the LISA project because he massively destroyed the Apple III He was a complete a Apple puts on patents suite on Google to be on top but what would happen if Google restricts them from using Google You guys can take shelter AndroidForever

Tanishq Jain said: Welcome to 2014 suhas

Tanishq Jain said: Get these Big Butts BB out man

Tanishq Jain said: Try out the keyboards available on Play store Well you can even try the BB10 keyboard on Android P

Tanishq Jain said: Theres no asking It defines itself

Tanishq Jain said: The whole Apple league is a joke

Tanishq Jain said:

shoyab chauhan said: windows is slower than android i think windows phone needs more improvement In android 99 games and apps are free but in windows 50 are free thats why windows is slower than android

Smart home- or wearable tech: which is more likely to benefit your digital life this year?

I'm more likely to buy smart home- than wearable tech this yearI'm more likely to buy wearable- than smart home tech this yearI'll probably buy both smart home- and wearable tech this yearI'm unlikely to buy smart home- or wearable tech this yearNot sure/don't know